Free Motion Friday: Robin Wall Hanging

Friday, 4 November 2016

I hardly dare mention it, but I have a Christmassy tutorial for you today for Free Motion Friday. I stitched a cute little robin and mounted him in an embroidery hoop. I always think of robin's as being boys, I don't know why!

If you would like to make a robin wall hanging of your own, you will need the following:·Piece of linen type fabric approx 10”
square.I used Robert Kaufman Essex Linen in theNatural colourway.·Small scraps of fabric in appropriate “robin”
colours.I used scraps of “Twist” by
Dashwood Studios.·Bondaweb – approx 4” square.·Iron on interfacing – approx 6” square.·Black thread.·6” wooden embroidery hoop.·Fabric glue.I used Gutermann HT2.

You will also need a darning or embroidery foot for your
sewing machine, and you must also be able to lower or cover the feed dogs of
your machine. You can download the template for the robin I used here.

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Print and cut out the robin template.If the test square in the corner measures 1”
then the robin will fit perfectly in a 6” embroidery hoop.

Turn the template pieces face down and draw round each one
on the reverse of the appropriate fabric.You don’t have to use exactly the same colours I’ve used, I just used
what I had.

Rough cut each shape out, leaving a small border and iron
onto some Bondaweb.Remember to use some
greaseproof paper over the Bondaweb so you don’t get any of the glue on the
plate of your iron.

Peel the fabric pieces off the Bondaweb backing and cut out
exactly.

Prepare the linen fabric by ironing the interfacing onto the
back of it to give some stability for stitching.

Arrange the pieces of the robin on the linen, centring them,
and then press with a hot iron to adhere them to the linen with the Bondaweb.

You can find a full tutorial explaining these steps in more detail here.

Using free motion embroidery, stitch around the edge of the
pieces and add details such as the robins legs, beak and eye.I used scribbly lines rather than straight
ones to give a more hand drawn look.

Add details such as a branch for the robin to stand on, or a
fence, or anything that takes your fancy!I cut some tiny holly leaves to add a contrasting colour into the
design.

Make sure your design fits in a 6” embroidery hoop.Mine does just, but I wanted it to fill the frame, so that's good!Mount your linen in the embroidery hoop so
that the fabric sits over the inner ring, press the outer ring down and tighten
the top screw.

Trim off the excess at the back, leaving about 15 – 20mm to
fold over the back of the hoop.

Apply fabric glue around the top edge of the inner rim of
the hoop and press the fabric down over the edge.

Sit back and admire your completed picture.You could add a ribbon loop or bow at the top
for hanging if you wish.